Twilight Princess II: a tale of two legends
by WiiFan2009
Summary: A mysterious portal sends Link to the Twilight Realm where he reunites with Midna and the two catch up on lost time. But will this portal lead to another Twilight Crisis? Reviews greatly appreciated!
1. Chapter 1: HeartBroken

**Twilight Princess II: A tale of two legends**

_Chapter 1: Heartbroken_

There he stood, once a hero, now a heartbroken man, staring at the shattered remains of the Mirror of Twilight. He fell to his knees, unable to stand any longer. Zelda stood, trying to find in vain words that would give him comfort. Then, Link stood up, turned around, and walked away. As he walked, he whispered "Midna…I love you." If one looked closely, one could see the waterfall of tears silently streaming down his cheeks.

In her own realm, the Twilight Princess Midna stood, her amber eyes showing sadness and heartbreak. Still, she walked forward, walking towards her Palace, showing no emotion until she came to what was once and was now her private chambers. Weary from the day's events, she collapsed on the bed, letting her tears come. As she laid there, she thought _Link…I'm sorry._

Back in Ordon, Link sat up in his tree house, sadly reflecting on his past. He looked toward a cracked, ancient artifact. He remembered that day with great longing; it was the day before Midna left.

_Midna was walking, letting the fresh sunlight warm her skin. She looked up at the sky; she would miss the Light Realm when she was gone. Her thoughts were interrupted by an all-too familiar voice_

"_Midna!" shouted Link as he ran up to her. Midna couldn't help but smile as she watched him stumble towards her, that clumsy idiot. When they first met in that prison cell in Hyrule Castle, Midna acted mean, harsh, and cruel to Link. A little while after, she started to lighten up and treat him a little better. Even more, after being saved by Link and Zelda, she started to resent her past actions and was now caring, nice, and even affectionate towards Link. Plus, ever since defeating Ganondorf, she started to engage in deep conversation with him, and she enjoyed being with him._

_Once the hero had run up to her, he stopped to catch his breath, exhausted from the running. She playfully scolded "Careful now, Hero! We wouldn't want you to sprain an ankle, now would we?"_

_Link laughed at the remark, but she was only half joking; Link had broken several bones after he fought his duel with Ganon. He had become so worn out from the battle that as soon as Midna revealed her true form, he had fainted and collapsed. Midna rushed to catch him before he hit the ground. He had woken up in her arms, awestruck by her beauty. She chuckled at his unspoken expressions, whispering "Is my beauty so great that can't stay awake for two minutes without fainting?"_

_Link smiled at the comment, and tried to sit up when a jolt of pain shot through him. Midna then placed a hand on his back to support him, whispering "Easy there; you took quite the beating." Link smiled one last time before succumbing to sleep once more, Midna holding him close, happy that the crisis was over, but sad knowing that she had only a few days left before she had to separate the realms, breaking both their hearts._

_After the two finished laughing at the joke, he said nervously "I brought you something…you know, as a good-bye gift."_

_Midna gingerly opened the box, and stared at the object; it was the Fused Shadow she wore as an imp that Ganondorf had crushed, but the object was mostly repaired, excluding several cracks. Tears formed in her eyes as she closed the box and handed it back, saying "Keep it Link…think of it as a trophy. It's better that that artifact be hidden anyway…there are quite a few people in my realm who would love to get their hands on it."_

_ Link smiled, and then unexpectedly threw his arms around her, whispering "I'll guard it with my life"._

_ Midna closed her eyes and smiled, resting her head on his shoulder. She knew he was trustworthy, and letting him keep the Fused Shadow artifact was the least she could do, considering her plans that she herself despised having to do._

Link let his tears fall and looked out the window; it was sunset. _The hour of twilight…_he thought to himself. He dragged himself up the ladder to his bed, and collapsed on it to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2: Reunited

**Chapter II: Reunited**

Link awoke, forcing himself to get up and start the day. In reality, he wanted nothing more than to sleep through the day, but he had other responsibilities that far outweighed his emotional turmoil. He got dressed in his tunic and climbed down the ladder that led to the rest of Ordon Village. _Time to get to work…_he thought.

The Twilight Princess meanwhile was practicing her own duties, mostly involving the much needed reconstruction of the realm. She looked out the window, sighing. It had only been a week since her departure from the realm of light, but she was now facing her deepest regret. _If only I had thought this through _thought Midna as she began to reminisce about her past adventures…

_With a swift stab, Link had brought down Argorok. The giant bird had exploded into a dissipating cloud of twilit particles. Where it once stood, the final Mirror Shard appeared. Midna came out of Link's shadow and floated over to it. She then magically stored it into the place where Link's entire inventory was kept and turned to face the hero. Link waited for some witty phrase, but he was surprised to see Midna applauding. She then said "Well done, hero. Well done indeed!"_

_ Link then replied "Thanks." Midna thought it was cute how he replied with short answers instead of replying with long, unnecessary monologues. He then said slowly "Guess this means that we have all we need to vanquish Zant."_

_ Midna nodded her head in confirmation. She was about to turn around to start the portal back to Hyrule when she looked into Link's eyes; she saw fear and doubt. She wrapped her arm around his neck and asked "Why the long face, hero?"_

_ Link looked up and softly spoke "What if I'm not good enough to stop him, Midna? What if I end up letting you down?"_

_ Midna thought over her response very carefully, mulling over what words would give him the confidence he needed to charge in and take down Zant. She then spoke "Hero, you've taken down every enemy we've faced, solved every puzzle every dungeon has presented us, and knocked down every obstacle that was in our way. I admit that when we first met I didn't think you had much skill, but after seeing you overcome all that you have, I have absolute faith in your skills!"_

_ Link smiled and replied "Thanks Midna."_

_ Midna grinned and said "Good. Now let's get going!" She then created the portal and hid in Link's shadow. As he walked in the portal, Midna thought to herself __**I only hope you can forgive me for what will happen after this crisis is over.**_

Midna smiled sadly, and then went back to her paperwork.

Link walked to the spring near Ordon Village, trying to relax after work. He sat on the grass looking up to the sky; it was twilight, a painful reminder of his past. He stood up and turned to go home when he saw a dark, purple portal open right in front of him. Link's blue eyes widened at the sight of it; it seemed to be a portal to the Twilight Realm itself. Curiosity overcoming reason, he walked into the portal. He felt his body being dissolved into particles preparing to go through the portal, but rather than resist it he embraced it, letting the portal carry him to the Twilight Realm like a river carries water.

Once he had reformed, he slowly walked forward getting a good look at his surroundings. Instead of seeing the Ordon spring, he saw a twilit sky and a large black palace. He then began to make his way to the palace, hoping for all his life was worth that Midna was in there.

Finished with her paperwork for the day, Midna walked to her room, exhausted from all the work the day gave her. She sat on her bed, trying to relax when a soft voice murmured "I found you".

Midna's eyes widened at the all-too familiar voice and she looked up to see Link standing by the entrance, his eyes soft and caring, looking at her. She stood up and walked over to him, disbelief fresh in her mind. She laid her hand on his cheek, as if to see if he was real. Once she was certain he was real, she threw her arms around him, and he in turn stroked her orange hair. They then looked at each other with different questions running through their minds. It seemed they had much to talk about.


	3. Chapter 3: Talks

**Chapter III: Talks**

Midna was the first to break the embrace; as much as she wanted to remain in his arms she knew that someone had to break the ice and start asking questions. She took Link's hand and led him onto the soft bed. They both sat down, looking somewhat away from each other. Midna fiddled with Link's fingers as she nervously spoke "I missed you."

Link looked up at her, his sapphire eyes soft and caring. "I missed you too."

Midna spoke again, but this time with a little more confidence. "So…how did you get here?"

Link looked away from her curious gaze and said softly with a chuckle "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Midna was slightly miffed at Link's reluctance to tell her about how he got here. _Then again_ she thought, _how can I blame him when I would be just as reluctant in the same situation?_ She decided to try to get Link to talk, and said to him "Try me, hero"

Link sighed and said "I guess I don't have a choice do I?" and related the events that happened, leaving out his sorrow.

When he finished, she had a frown on her face as she put her hand on her forehead, indicating some form of a headache. "This doesn't bode well at all. Portals don't just appear out of thin air; they have to be created by someone. If someone is creating portals to the Light Realm, it could spell disaster for both Hyrule and the Twilight Realm."

Link watched her, worry fresh on her face. Gently he placed a hand on her shoulder, a common gesture of comfort he often showed her in times of stress during their adventure. Silently he was telling her that everything was going to be ok. She smiled rested her head on his shoulder, a gesture of her own which said thank you. Though reluctant to break the silence, Link softly said "Can I ask you something?"

Midna nodded. Link cleared his throat and forced out "Why did you break the mirror?"

Midna sighed; she knew that question would be on his mind and it was one she was hoping to avoid. But she also knew that it was a question that Link deserved to have answered, and that it was better to get it over with now than to stall until it became something much bigger than it was. She took a breath, and spoke. "I wanted to protect both realms from another incident like what happened with Zant." She was silent for a moment, reflecting on both the far past and the recent past. "It seems it wasn't enough, considering how you got here…" Link looked at her curiously. Not wanting Link to get the wrong idea, she quickly said "Not that I'm mad you're here, it's just that if you managed to get here, then what else could get here as well?"

Link understood her well; if an evil entity could access the Light and Twilight Realms freely, then it would spell certain doom for both realms. A question appeared in his mind, and he couldn't help but ask it. "If you were 110% sure that something like Zant's reign would never happen again, would you still have broken the mirror?"

Midna thought about it for a good deal of time, then replied "No… I wouldn't have. Breaking the mirror was the hardest thing I had to do." She then gave him a coy smile and said playfully "Besides, now I know that mirror or no mirror, all paths now go straight to you!"

She then wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him. Softly she said playfully "I love you."

Link smiled; although she had said it in a playful tone, Midna had meant what she said, and the tone was simply a way for her not to feel embarrassed by it. Link rested one hand on her back and said "I love you too."

After a couple minutes of contentment, Midna began to open her mouth to say something, but thought better of it. She had begun to worry more about the appearing portal, afraid of the evil it might bring. She then thought to herself _but I can worry all I want about it tomorrow. I should spend the rest of the night with Link._ So she did, and she felt Link's strong arms wrapping around her, and she closed her eyes and smiled. She then returned the gesture by turning around and gently pushing him down onto the mattress. He grinned and closed his eyes as she laid a series of kisses on his face. Fatigue getting the best of both of them, Midna wrapped her own arms around him and they both succumbed to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4: An Old Enemy

**Chapter IV : An old enemy**

With a yawn, Midna awoke from her slumber, raising her arms like she did when she rode Link as an imp. She turned her gaze to her **unofficial** boyfriend Link; he slept peacefully with his arms wrapped around her chest with a smile on his face. She smiled too; after a torturous week she finally had Link all to herself, and no mirror was going to separate them. She quietly bent her neck and kissed his neck. The second she did, his eyes fluttered open as if he was under a sleeping curse, and her kiss was the magic cure. Midna smiled and said quietly "Good Morning."

Link smiled and gave a small yawn, then swung his legs over the bed. Midna moved one of her hands to his back, lending him support for him to use to get up. Link slowly stood up and stretched his arms, trying to awaken his body. Midna then got up and walked over to him and asked casually "So how did you sleep?"

Drowsily Link replied "Fine. And You?"

"Good" Midna replied. Midna leaned in to give him another kiss when a large man shimmered into the room. Link noticed some similarities between him and a typical Darknut. However, one difference was that while he carried a large sword but used no shield. Even more so, he didn't have much armor. Link picked up his sword and shield from the side of the bed and said anxiously "Midna, stay back." As she began to argue Link interrupted "Don't argue. He could cleave you in half before you could cast one of your spells, so I want you at a safe distance." Seeing that Link was right, Midna moved to the bed where she would be safe, and watched Link engage in the duel of his life.

Link slammed his blade against his opponent's blade. His opponent merely pushed back. The fight continued, neither side claiming a clear advantage. Finally, after he had used all but one of his hidden skills, the hero sheathed his sword and waited. His opponent charged forth, ready to cleave Link in two until finally Link grabbed his sword and swiftly cut his opponent's head off. His opponent then shattered to pieces. The hero then thought _there was no defense…the mortal draw deals instant death._ Link walked up to Midna and was about to ask if she was okay when suddenly a ghostly figure appeared. Link's eyes widened as he realized that it was none other than Zant; his cone-shaped helmet was unmistakeable. Zant then spoke "Impressive, Hero. I see you've defeated my Buster Blader."

Midna then walked up to the image of her foe and said tensely "What do you want, Zant?"

Zant cleared his throat and replied "To issue an ultimatum: surrender and make me king, or perish as I send an army of monsters even more powerful than the one you've faced. You have one week to decide. Farewell." Zant's image disappeared without a trace. Midna then turned to Link and threw her arms around him and buried her head into his shoulder, tears streaming down her face. "For a moment, I thought you weren't going to make it."

Link stroked her hair to comfort her and said quietly "Neither did I. But we have to stop Zant before he unleashes that army of his on the Twilight Realm and Hyrule."

Midna nodded. "I know" she said, letting go of him and wiping away her tears.

Link whispered with confidence "We'll take down Zant permanently. I promise."

Midna found herself for the millionth time marveling at his confidence even faced against overwhelming odds. She began to remember a time when he showed such confidence on their previous adventure.

_The pair stood at the newly formed mirror as Link stood in surprise; Midna had just been revealed as the Twilight Princess. Link had silently forgiven her for not telling him the truth. Midna murmured "I just hope we're ready."_

_ Link smirked with confidence and said "With your magical prowess and this Master Sword, Zant doesn't stand one chance against our combined might."_

_ Midna smiled. "Glad you think so. Let's go hero!" She then jumped into his shadow as Link walked into the portal, disintegrating into a million pieces._

The two began to pack, Link arming himself with his sword and shield and Midna packing her spellbooks and various potions. Link hadn't bothered to bring his other tools that he had acquired on his adventure, but he believed that a true warrior didn't need tools to defeat his opponents. At last the two departed. Their destination: the old decrepit castle on the other side of the Twilight Realm that was the former Palace for many centuries until the new one was built.


	5. Chapter 5: Matching Monsters with Traps

Chapter V: Matching Monsters with Traps

"Ouch!" Link exclaimed as Midna proceeded to stitch up his wounds. Both of them had encountered many monsters that Zant had mentioned before, from warriors to spellcasters to dragons. Most of them were simply low-level monsters that were easily taken care of. Midna then scolded without looking at him "Well if you didn't rush headfirst into that battle with that Dark Magician, we'd be on our way to stopping Zant and I wouldn't have to worry about having to organize your funeral."

Link winced at that one; she was right about that. He thought about the battle with that as she finished stitching up his wounds.

_ Link looked around the battlefield; every enemy monster was vanquished either by his sword or by Midna's magic. He then proceeded to walk across the field when his eye caught a dark mist. At first, it was only a small spec, but in seconds it grew exponentially. Finally, it formed into a person and the mist cleared. This man was slender and wore red armor with a matching red hat fitting his head like a glove. Also, there was a purple scepter in his right hand. Link raised his sword and charged in, hoping to catch the sorcerer off guard, when suddenly the sorcerer raised his hand and shot a purplish beam at Link. Link screamed as it hit him square in the chest, sending him flying back. Midna rushed to catch him and laid him down by a tree. She then turned to face the sorcerer and demanded "Who are you?"_

_ The sorcerer then laughed and replied with an evil grin "Twilight Princess, I am the all-powerful DARK MAGICIAN. I was summoned by Zant specifically to dispose of you AND your precious hero. Prepare to die." He then laughed an evil laugh and proceeded to aim his scepter at her. A purple energy beam came out of it. Midna however was prepared and caught the beam in her hand. Once the attack was done, she then unleashed a powerful energy beam of her own to destroy the Dark Magician. Her beam hit with an impact and smoke arose. Midna smirked with confidence. However, when the smoke cleared, she saw not the corpse of the Dark Magician, but three hats with question marks on them in his place. The Dark Magician then jumped out of one of them and proceeded with another energy beam._

_ Midna panicked; what good would absorbing the Dark Magician's spells be if he was going to hide? 'Wait a moment…' she thought. 'If I reflect his attack, then he won't be able to hide in time!' As the energy beam was about to hit, Midna again held up her hand to block, but instead of absorbing the hit, she cast a spell to reflect it right back at the Magician. The Dark Magician panicked as the beam hit him, making him explode into a million pieces. She then rushed up to Link, kneeling at his side. She put her hand on Link's chest and felt a heartbeat. She sighed with relief and proceeded to carry him in her arms. When she was about to walk away, she saw 5 cards floating in the air. They were purple and had descriptions on them. The cards had the titles_

_**NEGATE ATTACK**_

_**MAGIC CYLINDER**_

_**MAGICAL HATS**_

_**MIRROR FORCE**_

_**WABOKU**_

___Midna moved her hand to pick up the cards. She then mused 'These could come in handy', then put them in a pocket and put her hand back under Link's legs, carrying him to a place where they wouldn't be disturbed long enough for her to heal him._

"So wait" Link was saying as Midna stitched up the last of his wounds. "You think that these cards can help us combat these monsters Zant created?"

Midna nodded. "If we use these cards against Zant, then it'll even the playing field a little." Midna paused. "And one more thing."

"Yes?" Link asked.

"You're an idiot" was Midna's annoyed reply. She stood up and said "Now let's go! We've wasted enough time as it is, and I refuse to let Zant take over."

Link smirked as he stood up and followed suit, walking behind Midna, silently promising to be more careful.


	6. Chapter 6: The First Trap Cards Used

**Chapter VI: The first Trap Cards used**

**Author's Note: Sorry this took so long; I was w/out a computer that had Micrsoft Word for a while and I had 2 get my writer's block out of the way. So plz, plz, PLZ review…I can create a better story that way if u do! Thank You!**

They continued to walk for miles, trudging through mud and forest. Both were worn out, tired from having to walk all the miles that they did. _I wish I had Epona right now_ Link thought. However he continued to walk on, though slowly. He had refused to rest, and the consequences were coming to show. He moved at a slower pace, his eyes were half-shut, and his face no longer showed the cheery personality that he normally exhibited. They continued to walk until finally, Link tripped on a dark tree root, stumbling to the ground, and uttering a roan of fatigue and pain. Midna sighed as she turned around to see what shape he was in; Link was trying to get up,but his muscles refused to exert the necessary energy. "That's it!" Midna exclaimed as she bent down to pick him up. "You are officially too tired to continue walking, hero." With one swift movement, she picked him off the ground and carried him in her arms.

"But…" Link started to protest, but Midna interrupted "no buts, Link. Zant has become more powerful than ever, and he'll wipe the floor with you if you're snoozing."

Link opened his mouth to retort, but Midna put a finger to his mouth as a way of saying Shut up. _Midna will have her way even if she has to warp me to an inn herself…_ thought Link. Midna looked around and saw a cave big enough to hide them from any potential enemies. _Good enough_ Midna thought as she walked to the cave with Link in her arms and went to see what their temporary resting place would be like.

The cave was nothing large or fancy; the rock was dry and it was flat enough to rest on. She then gently laid Link down on the surface and put her magic to work. She raised her palm, closed her eyes, and muttered an incantation. One of the beds from the Palace materialized into the cave, with all the pillows, blankets, and sheets to boot. Midna smirked, satisfied with her magic. She then lifted Link up and laid him back down gently on the mattress. As soon as he hit the mattress, Link began to yawn; as much as he hated to admit it, the thought of rest was too good to resist. Within a minute of lying down, his eyes closed and he fell asleep. Midna smiled as she heard his familiar, quiet snoring. _So peaceful…_ she thought as she watched him sleep. It made her reminisce about one of their previous adventures, after they defeated Blizetta and found the second quarter of the Mirror of Twilight. _He's always pushing himself, never stopping to rest she_ thought as she thought back on that time.

_Link stepped through the portal, smirking as he dissolved into twilit pieces. _One down, two to go_ he thought. As he reappeared outside of the manor, he tried to walk forward, but he tripped on the steps and fell on his face. Midna popped out of his shadow and shook her head in disappointment. _Poor thing_, she thought._ He's been fighting nonstop; he should really get some rest. _She then helped him up and said "Come on, let's get you some rest. You more than deserve it."_

_ Link tried to protest "I'm just fine, and besides, we still have the other half of the mirror to find." However, his body started to fight his words as he started to yawn as he spoke._

_ Midna shook her head. "Just as I thought; you can't even take two steps without yawning, so how do you expect to find the next shard?" Before Link could protest, Midna muttered a quiet incantation and before long, Link blacked out. Before he fell, she warped them to Ordon Spring. As Link materialized, Midna kept him from falling by using magic to levitate him. She then brought him to his old house, levitated him up to the door and phased him through the door. Once she got inside, she materialized a blanket on his fallen body and watched him rest. Her heart melted at the peace she saw as he quietly snored._

_That was when I realized that I truly felt something for him_… thought Midna as she watched Link rest. Gingerly she rested her hand on his shoulder as he slept. _Rest up Link…_she thought as she herself began to feel drowsy. "Guess I need to sleep too" she yawned as she lay down next to Link, wrapped her arms lovingly around him, and let sleep take her.

Hours later, the young Twilight Princess awoke, eyes fluttering open. She turned her head, gazing towards Link. The hylian warrior was still asleep, snoring quietly. Midna carefully rested her hand on his head and ruffled his hair playfully. Link's eyes then opened and he sat up, declaring "Alright…we've wasted enough time; we need to get to Zant." Midna nodded and was about to help him up when they felt a rumble. Link clutched onto Midna's leg for fear that he might fall into a pit should one open. _Wait a minute…_thought Midna. _It's not under us that something's rumbling from, it's something outside coming here…but what?_

She didn't have to wonder long, as suddenly, a battalion of goblins rushed in with swords and clubs raised. Link got up immediately and drew his sword. _He can't fight them all, _Midna thought. She then remembered something and reached into her pocket for the 5 purple cards she received from the Dark Magician. She then murmured "Magical Hats." The card then dissipated as four black hats then appeared out of thin air, each one holding an identical question mark on it. One then covered Link and the 4 hats moved around too fast for anybody to see and then settled in a row. The goblins looked around, confused. They then charged the hat on the left and it combusted on impact. Midna sighed with relief as the hat revealed itself to be empty. Link then jumped out of the hat that he was in, shield and sword raised and took a defensive stance. Midna then put her hand on his arm, saying "I think this'll be easy now."

Link looked at the goblins and laughed; they were snoozing like babies, not even paying attention to Link or Midna. He then took a bomb out of his bag, lit it and threw it in the middle of the sleeping battalion. The duo then ran out of the cave and covered their ears as a satisfying boom emerged from the then ran back to the cave to see the goblins gone, replaced by a floating card, similar to the ones that Midna received, but not only was this one a different color, but it had stars, numbers, among other things on it that the purple cards didn't. Midna again stored it into her pocket. She then turned to Link and said "Let's get going Hero. We don't want to miss taking down Zant." Link nodded as he took her hand and they walked with a renewed confidence. _With these new weapons at our disposal, we can't lose…_they thought as Zant's castle loomed in the distance.


	7. Chapter 7: A Break

Chapter VII: A Break

The duo had decided to take a break from their adventure; Link was tired and Midna had exhausted herself fighting off the enemies that attacked them. The good news was that with every enemy they defeated, they got a new card; some were yellow and some were tan. By now they had at least 20 of them.

Midna had set up a campsite in a cave that was not unlike the last one they had stayed in. With a quick incantation, Midna conjured a bed, a table, chairs, and a plate of food from her palace. She took Link's hand and led him to one of the chairs. Link of course welcomed himself to sit in it; it was a wooden chair padded with cushions. Midna then pulled the other chair next to his and sat in it. Link's eyes glanced away from hers; he was thinking about how they were going to triumph over Zant if he had become so powerful. _If only I had come more prepared, I could be more helpful in helping Midna…_ he thought drearily. Midna placed her hand on his back as a gesture of comfort and reassured him "Hey, don't worry; we'll stop Zant once and for all." Link smiled sadly and hugged her in thanks. In turn Midna smirked and tilted his head to face hers. "I love you" she whispered, and proceeded to kiss the young hero. Link stifled a gasp; he and Midna were close, but he had never been kissed before. However, in a moment he followed suit, wrapping his arms around her back while Midna did the same with his neck. Neither one of them knew how long they stayed like that before they separated for air. "Not bad for a first kiss" murmured Midna. Link loked at her and wrapped his arms around her again. As they embraced again, he thought of a past time when he almost had this moment.

_Midna had regained her true form and Link had recovered from his battle with Ganon. Afterwards, Midna stayed with Link, touring Hyrule for the few days that she had left in the Twilight Realm. So far, Link had taken her to Kakariko and Castle Town. They were now walking under the moonlit sky in Hyrule Field. Midna then clasped his hand in hers, obviously leading him somewhere. Link blushed at the Twili's touch, but the darkness of night hid it. He then quickened his pace and asked "Where are you taking me?"_

"_It's a surprise, wolf-boy!" answered Midna in her usual sly tone. Link rolled his eyes and thought _When will she start giving a straight answer?_ The pair continued to walk until they came to a waterfall with a lake. Midna then let go of his hand and walked to the edge of the grass, then sat down and soaked her legs in the water, sighing with relief. She then looked to Link and said "Come sit with me!" Link obliged, taking off his boots and cooling his feet. "I find that the presence of cool water is very soothing."_

_Link nodded in understanding and looked away, trying to think of what to say to her. _I've never had problems talking to her now, so what is it with me now?_ Link sighed and looked away when he was hit by a splash of water. A cold sensation overtook him causing him to shudder and cross his arms. "I..th..th..ought you said w.. was s.." he stuttered._

_Midna giggled that giggle that Link became so fond of during his travels and replied "_I didn't say always, wolf-boy_". Link rolled his eyes and sent a splash back at her. The princess laughed as she was hit by the water. "So you want to play dirty huh? Well, all right…"_ _She then summoned a wave of water 10 ft high and unleashed it on Link. When the water cleared, Link was washed up on the shore, spitting water out of his mouth. The hero then murmured "remind me never to get you mad."_

_Midna giggled and proceeded to help him sit up. As she sat him up, Midna felt herself staring into his eyes, feeling a sudden rush of affection for the boy. _Such compassionate eyes…_ thought the young princess. Link also found himself feeling something for the princess. They started leaning closer, and then leaned away, each murmuring embarrassed apologies._ _Link then stood up, and helped the princess to her feet, saying "It's getting late." The princess nodded and proceeded to warp them both to Ordon._

"Hello? Are you there?" asked Midna as she waved her hand in front of Link's face.

Link shook his head and said "Sorry…I was…thinking".

"Thinking about what?" asked the princess in reply.

"Just something past…nothing that needs to be worried about" Link assured her. Midna rolled her eyes as Link yawned. "You're tired; come on and rest" said the princess.

Link nodded and stood up; he knew better than to argue with Midna, especially when it came to his well-being. He walked over and fell onto the soft bed. Soon after he did, Midna lay next to him and she placed her hand on his face and kissed his cheek. Link let out a soft sigh of pleasure and succumbed to his weariness. Midna smiled and nuzzled his neck, soon dreaming pleasant dreams.


	8. Chapter VIII: Entering Zant's Castle

Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long, I just haven't been in a writing mood, but now I'm back. PLZ review; it helps to motivate me to write. Enjoy!

Chapter VIII: Entering Zant's Castle

"Well, this is it…" murmured the Twilight Princess. The duo stood at the door of Zant's castle, an ominous and dark structure not unlike how the Palace was decorated during his reign. She shook a bit with nervousness; there was no telling what Zant had in store for them. Link then took her hand in his and smiled at her. He then cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. Midna wrapped her arms around his neck as she leaned into him, wanting to give herself to him right there and then as she felt his love spread through her. Link then broke the kiss gently and, still holding her hand, walked into the castle.

The duo walked through many corridors, each one dark and creepy. Link's eyes continuously darted back and forth, watching for any possible traps. Midna walked alongside him, using her magical abilities to show them the correct path to Zant. _He's so protective, so cautious_ thought Midna. _I had almost forgotten…_ Midna then focused her mind on other matters, mainly how to take down Zant. They had walked for what seemed like hours until they reached the door leading to his throne room. Midna took Link's hands in hers and assured "Whatever we face, we'll face it together!" Link smiled and turned to open the door.

There the King sat, his familiar mask sending shivers down Link's spine. "I'm impressed you got here so quickly…I expected those traps to keep you longer."

Midna walked forward and declared "Your time is up, Zant. It's time to take you down!" She turned to face Link. "Draw your sword, Link." Link nodded and drew his familiar Master Sword, its blade glowing in the Twilight.

Zant merely smiled and said slyly "How boring, settling this with a simple sword duel. Don't you think it's time to mix it up?"

Midna cocked her head in curiosity; if Zant didn't want to prove his skill w/the blade, what did he want to prove it with? "What did you have in mind?"

Zant grinned wickedly, a gesture that gave Midna goosebumps. "Those cards you've collected…they're for more than just summoning monsters; they can be used to play a game. A YAMI NO GAME!"

"Yami no game?" asked Midna.

"Yes" replied Zant. "You and Link will each build a deck of 40 or more cards and take me on in a 2 vs 1 duel. All players start with 8000 life points, and all players use monsters to lower their opponent's life points to zero, using magic and trap cards to their advantage. The loser loses their soul. Do we have a deal?"

Midna glanced at Link; as much as she wanted to get rid of Zant, she didn't want to lose the love of her life. _What should I do?_

Just then, Link announced "I accept." Midna's mouth dropped open in shock.

"Are you sure?" Midna asked. Link nodded. Zant then snapped his fingers and cards appeared in front of both Link and Midna.

"Just point to the cards you want" Zant explained. Link and Midna then pointed away, Link picking Warrior cards and Midna picking Spellcaster cards. An arena then appeared in front of them and they approached it. The duel had begun.

"Since we're playing on my field, I'll go first" Zant stated. Zant drew a card and snickered. "This card will tip the duel in my favor! I activate the field magic card, DARK TWILIGHT!" The field then turned from the twilight that Midna had been accustomed to into the twilight that blanketed Hyrule. Zant explained "This magic card makes it so that only dark-attribute monsters can attack; all other monsters are frozen"

"Be careful Link" Midna warned. "With that card in play, he's at a dangerous advantage."

Link nodded. Zant continued "Next I summon Ryu-Kishin Powered and end my turn."

Link drew his card and stated "I summon Masaki the Legendary Swordsman in defense mode and place one card face down. That ends my turn."

Midna then drew her card and smiled. "I activate Cost-Down! By discarding one card from my hand, I can lower the level of all monsters in my hand by 2." She then discarded one card to the graveyard. "Next, I summon Dark Magician Girl!" Zant flinched as she continued "Next I activate the magic card Sage's Stone. So I can automatically summon from my hand Dark Magician." Zant;s face quickly became one of fear as he realized her skill. "Next I activate Mystical Space Typhoon. This magic card allows me to destroy a trap or magic card, and I choose your Dark Twilight!" Zant gasped as the dark twilight dissolved and the normal twilight began. "That ends my turn" said Midna.

Zant growled and said "Alright, you may have destroyed my Dark Twilight, but that was just one of my powerful cards. This duel has just begun, Princess!"


	9. Chapter IX: Zant gets the upper hand

Chapter IX: Zant gets the upper hand

All three duelists glared with an intensity that could melt glaciers. Link glanced at Midna with admiration. _Such cunning, such strategy_ he thought. Link than glared at Zant and declared boldly "Make your move, Zant!"

The usurper king lightly trembled in fear of the advantage that Midna had gained. Then he clenched his fists and screamed "This duel is far from over, Midna. I draw." The king then drew his card and smirked. "Midna," he declared, "I can turn this duel around with the card I just drew."

"Fat chance" declared Midna. "You're up against my 2 spellcasters with each having an attack power of 2000 or more. It would take a miracle to turn the duel around."

Zant merely laughed and said "You're wrong; watch and learn." "I sacrifice my Ryu-Kishin Powered to summon my Summoned Skull!"

Midna and Link watched as a giant skeleton rose up on the field and reached the same height as Midna's Dark Magician. Midna looked at the attack meter and exclaimed "2500? That makes it even with my Magician."

Zant smirked. "Correct, Midna. But I'm not done." Zant then placed another card in his back row and declared "Next I activate the magic card Makiu, the Magical Mist."

"But what will that do?" Midna asked.

"I'm glad you asked, Midna. At the cost of giving up my battle phase this turn, my Summoned Skull instantly destroys all enemy monsters whose defensive value is less than or equal to his attack value."

Link and Midna could only watch as lightning destroyed their every monster. "He just wiped out our defense" exclaimed Link.

Zant smiled wickedly and said "I'm afraid the worst is yet to come. Next I play the magic card Polymerization!"

"What does that do?" asked Link.

"If I have 2 or more fusion-compatible monsters in my hand, on the field, or a combination, I can fuse them together to form a stronger monster." Link and Midna gasped in shock; they had enough to deal with without a stronger monster. "So now I fuse the Summoned Skull on my field with the Red Eyes Black Dragon in my hand to summon the Black Skull Dragon!"

Link and Midna watched with horror as the Skeleton was replaced with a skeleton in the shape of a dragon. Link read the attack meter and exclaimed "3200?"

"Exactly, hero" Zant replied with malice. "And finally, I activate the magic card Quick Attack. This card makes it so that my fusion monster can attack during my main phase, and you have no monsters to defend either of you. But which one should I choose to attack?" Zant's eyes darted between the duo until his eyes settled on Midna. "I think it's high time I paid back you for destroying my twilight spell, Midna."

_No, not Midna_ thought Link. _She stands the best chance of defeating Zant; without her I can't stand a ghost of a chance._

"Now then, my beast, attack Midna directly!_"_ declared Zant. He smirked as Midna braced herself for the impact.

Finally, Link spoke up. "I won't let you harm her Zant." Zant and Midna looked to Link. "I'll protect her with my face-down card. I activate Draining Shield!" Zant gasped in shock as a barrier of light formed around Midna, protecting her from the attack. Link smirked as he said "Now your attack is negated and Midna gains Life Points equal to your dragon's attack points." Everyone except Link gasped as Midna's Life Points climbed to 11,200.

Zant growled and yelled "Curse you, Link. You'll pay for that!"

Midna looked to Link and said "Thanks, Link".

Link gave her a thumbs up and replied "Anytime, Midna. We're a team, remember? And I'll always be there for you!"

Midna smiled and replied "Same here, Link. Now, let's crush Zant once and for all!"

Link nodded and declared "Alright, Zant, it's my turn now. I draw." Link drew a card and smiled. "I activate the magic card, Swords of Revealing Light!" Zant gasped in fear as swords make of pure light surrounded him. "This card makes it so that you can't attack with anything for 3 turns. Next, I summon Vorse Raider in attack mode and end my turn. Back to you, my Princess."

Midna blushed momentarily and then became serious again. "Alright, time for me to continue what Link started." She drew a card and said "I set a monster in defense mode and set one card face down. That ends my turn."

Zant growled. "Alright, you may have saved yourselves for now, but my dragon is still waiting to destroy you! And you have nothing strong enough to take it down!" Zant then laughed manaically as the duo stared him down.


	10. Chapter X:Light&Shadow turn the tables

Chapter X: Light and Shadow turn the tables

Midna and Link glared at Zant while the usurper king made his move. _Alright, so they've saved themselves right now _thought the usurper king. "I draw" said Zant as he drew a card. He then declared "I activate Card of Sanctity! Now all players draw from their decks until they're each holding 6 cards." Link, Midna, and Zant then drew cards corresponding to the amount in their hand. Zant then said "I activate De-Fusion. Now my dragon goes back to my fusion deck and I can special summon my Summoned Skull and my Red-Eyes."

"Great, now he's got 2 powerful monsters on the field again" grumbled Link. "As if we didn't have enough to worry about."

Zant smirked as he continued "Next I activate the magic card, Inferno Fire Blast! By giving up my Dragon's ability to attack, I can inflict damage to an opponent equal to my dragon's attack points. But whom should I target this time?" Zant's eyes settled on the hero and said "I think it's about high time I paid Link back for blocking my attack on Midna." Link gasped and braced himself for impact.

It was then that Midna said "Not so fast, Zant. I reveal my face down card: Magic Jammer."

"Why you…little..."Zant angrily growled. _I've been thwarted AGAIN!_

Midna smirked and spoke "That's right; by discarding one card from my hand, I can negate your magic card and destroy it." Midna then took one card form her hand and continued "So I'll discard Peten the Dark Clown!" As Zant seethed, she then declared "Also, by removing Peten from play, I can select another one from my deck and special summon it to the field." As Zant's card exploded, Midna's Peten appeared on the field and playfully stuck its tongue out at Zant. "I can then shuffle my deck" Midna continued as she skillfully shuffled her deck like a bar patron would pour wine.

"I place one card face down and end my turn" growled the Usurper King. _I'm becoming annoyed…_

"Alright, now it's my turn" declared Link. "First I activate Cost Down!" Link then discarded a card and continued "Next I sacrifice my Vorse Raider to summon my Elemental Hero Neos!" Zant stared in awe as a white dolphinish-looking human appeared from the skies. Link then continued "Next I activate Monster Reborn!"

"Monster Reborn? What are you scheming?" seethed Zant.

Link smirked as he continued "I use Monster Reborn to revive the card I discarded, BLACK LUSTER SOLDIER!"

Zant stared in fear as a warrior covered in black armor appeared from the ground. _What a comeback _thought the Twilight Princess. _Link, I admire you!_

Link then continued "Then I activate Mystical Space Typhoon and I destroy your face-down card!"

Zant shielded himself as a blast of wind destroyed his face-down card. "No, my defense!" exclaimed the king.

Link then continued "Now, Black Luster Soldier, attack the Summoned Skull!"

Zant stared in great fear as his skull screeched and then disintegrated. "No, my skull!"

Still smirking, Link continued "Now, Neos attack his dragon!" Neos then destroyed Red-Eyes with a punch, his fist aglow with white energy.

Midna watched as Zant's life point meter decreased to 7400. "Great job, Link!" she cheered. "You took down two of his most powerful monsters in one turn!"

Link gave her another thumbs-up, now becoming his trademark gesture. "Thanks, Midna!" They then turned their gaze to the usurper king, his body trembling with anger and rage. Link finished "I'll place one card face-down and end my turn."

Midna smiled at Link; here was her hero, matching intellects with Zant himself! She then turned to Zant and said "Alright Zant, my turn." After drawing her card, she declared "I sacrifice my face-down monster so I can summon my Chaos Command Magician!" A monster then appeared similar in appearance to her Dark Magician, but with a cape and a different scepter. "Now, my magician, attack Zant directly!"

Zant smirked and discarded a card from his hand. In response, a monster that looked like a tiny ball of brown hair appeared to intercept the attack. "Allow me to explain, Midna. The monster you see before you is Kuriboh, and by discarding it from my hand, I can negate the battle damage from one attack, so your blast doesn't do squat." The Kuriboh then exploded in a small blast.

Midna then clenched her fists and murmured "Blast." She felt Link's comforting hand on her shoulder and smiled. "Alright Zant, you may have saved yourself, but this duel's far from over. In fact, you're on the losing end and have no monsters to defend you. One more round and we'll be the victors!"

Zant growled and thought _I…will NOT be OUTDONE…by a PRINCESS and her pet HERO…_ Zant raised his head and replied "Alright Princess, enough fooling around. From now on, it's all-out WAR! You and your hero will lose, and your souls will belong to ME!" Zant then laughed maniacally as his opponents glared at him.

"Be careful, Link…I don't know what he's up to, but I don't like it" Midna warned. Link nodded and the both of them thought _I won't lose; both the realms and the love of my life are counting on me_.


	11. Chapter XI: Zant's Ultimate Beast

Chapter XI: Zant's ultimate beast

Zant drew his next card and cackled with glee. "YOU TWO…I've drawn the card that will end this duel with my victory." The duo tensed as Zant continued "I activate the magic card, Dark God Ceremony!"

"What does that do?" the hero and princess asked simultaneously. They had never heard of that card before, and they were about to find out more than they wanted.

"Simple; by sending 3 dark-attribute monsters from my hand to the grave, I can summon my ultimate creature!" He then discarded 3 cards to his grave and continued "now, meet your maker; the last monster you'll ever see: The Twilit God ESSENCE OF GANON!"

As he spoke, dark flames pouring with evil flickered into existence to form the face of Ganondorf's god form. "What is that thing?" Link whispered. Midna herself had turned ice cold, frozen in fear of that abomination. The duo both remembered what happened the last time they faced it…

_Link and Zelda stepped backward in fear; who wouldn't be scared facing that thing? Midna however stayed calm and defiant. She then closed her eyes as the Fused Shadows circled around her, lending the Imp Princess their power. Link noticed this and stepped forward, declaring "Don't leave me out of this, Midna; I'll fight too!"_

_Midna sadly shook her head. "I thank you for your bravery, Link, but this is a battle where only magic can be used; you don't even know one spell."_

"_But Midna, you can't fight him alone. There has to be something I can do."_

"_Not this time, hero." Before Link had time to argue, Midna warped him away. "Thank you for everything Link." Midna's imp form disappeared, replaced by the arachnid form of the Fused Shadow Beast, where she powered all of her love for Link and her hatred for Ganon into one blast to eradicate the King of Evil._

_ Link and Zelda disappeared and reappeared in Hyrule Field. "Midna" murmured Link. Zelda and the hero then turned to see the castle explode._

Midna was trembling for the first time in her life. Suddenly she felt a warm sensation and she looked down to see Link's hand grasping her own. In that instant, she stopped trembling and the color returned to her face. Smiling, she murmured "Thanks Link." She suddenly turned serious and exclaimed "Now, Let's take down this oversized fireball!"

Zant growled and cut in "Fat chance! Nothing can defeat it!" The duo then focused on their opponent, glaring viciously. Zant then explained "My monster's attack points are equal to the combined attack points of every dark-attribute monster in my entire deck, and as long as there's a dark-attribute monster in my graveyard, it can't be destroyed by magic, trap, or monster effects and its attacks can't be stopped by them! And I already have Summoned Skull, Ryu-Kishin Powered, Kuriboh, Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and 3 Old Vindictive Magicians in my graveyard, which gives my god a grand total of 8150 attack points!" He then exclaimed "Next, I activate the magic card, De-Spell, which allows me to destroy your Swords of Revealing Light! Now my god, attack that Elemental Hero Neos!"

"Link NO!" Midna cried out as Link and his monster was engulfed in dark flames that threatened to destroy their very souls. Afterwards the flames died down and Midna growled "You'll pay for that, Zant!"

Then a confident voice spoke out "I'm not done yet!" Zant and Midna gasped as they looked to see Link standing and his Neos still on the field.

Zant's fists clenched as he growled "How…how is your monster still standing?"

Link smirked and boldly explained "I activated my trap card; Waboku! During the turn I activate Waboku, I take zero damage and my monsters aren't destroyed by battle!"

"Great work, Link!" exclaimed the Twilight Princess while leaning over and kissing his cheek. Link blushed and reverted to a fierce battle stare.

Zant growled "I end my turn with a face-down."

Link smirked and said "My turn!" He drew his card and exclaimed "Your monster will be finished once I play this card! I activate the magic card, Soul Release!"

Zant stared in horror and yelled "NO! Not that card!"

Link smirked and continued "That's right; this magic card allows me to remove up to 5 of your monsters from the game, and I choose your Summoned Skull, Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Ryu-Kishin Powered, and 2 of your Old Vindictive Magicians!" Zant stared in horror as his monster's attack decreased from 8150 to 750. Lin then declared "Now, Black Luster Soldier, attack his God card, with Chaos Blade Attack!" The Soldier then lunged and performed a finishing move on the god form of Ganon. Zant watched in horror as his Life Points decreased from 7400 to 5150.

Zant then interrupted "You may have dealt battle damage, but my god's effect stops it from being destroyed in battle."

Link kept a face of confidence and said "You'll need it, thanks to my other monster. Now attack Neos!" Zant watched as Neos knocked back his god monster with a charged punch. Zant watched with horror as his life points decreased even more, all the way to 2350. Link concluded by saying "I'll end with one face-down."

Midna stared at her hero with awe; she never thought her hero would turn things around so easily! _He makes my moves look amateurish_ she thought. "My move!" she declared. She smirked and exclaimed "Alright, time for me to finish what Link started!" She continued "First I activate my own magic card, Soul Release! I choose to remove your magician and Kuriboh!"

Zant stared in horror and thought _Now my god card is worthless!_

Midna smirked and continued "Next I activate the magic card Monster Reborn so I can revive my Dark Magician!" Midna smirked as her familiar spellcaster returned to the field, purple armor, staff, and all. "Next, I activate Knight's Title! It's a magic card that allows me to tribute my magician to summon an extremely powerful monster from my deck, my hand, or my grave yard! So behold, Dark Magician Knight!" Link and Zant watched as after a swirl of purplish light, the mage was replaced by a knight in purple armor and holding a sword. Midna then continued "Next, I activate my Knight's special ability! When he's summoned, he can destroy any card on the field!"

Zant gasped in horror, while Link responded "Great work, Midna!"

Midna smiled at him, and then turned her attention to the Essence of Ganon. "Now, I'll destroy your god card!" Zant stared in horror as a beam of light appeared form the knight's sword and obliterated Zant's monster. "And best of all," she continued "my Knight hasn't attacked yet. Now, end this!" she yelled.

As the knight struck, Zant declared "Not so fast! I activate my face-down card!" Midna gasped as chains appeared around her knight, stopping it from attacking. Zant explained "It's called Shadow Spell, and not only can your Knight not move, but its attack points are lowered by 700 points!"

Midna watched in horror as her Knight's strength lowered from 2500 to 1800. Link grasped her hand in comfort again, and she relaxed. Link then shouted "Alright, Zant; you have no monsters to defend you and no other face-down cards left, so it's only a matter of time before we win."


	12. Chapter XII: Fused Shadow Energy Max!

Chapter XII: Fused Shadow Energy Max!

All 3 duelists looked at each other, the air tense. Zant then declared "My move!" After he drew his card, he proclaimed "Time for my comeback! First I play the magic card Card of Demise! It allows me to draw 5 new cards, but in 5 turns I must discard my entire hand." He then scoffed "Of course I plan to destroy you long before that."

"How" questioned the young princess mockingly. "You have no monsters to defend you and no face-down cards."

Zant smirked and replied "With this; it's a magic card called Evil Element. It can only be activated when Essence of Ganon is in the graveyard." The duo gulped as he continued "Now, by paying half my life points, I can summon a monster that can ONLY be destroyed in battle! Meet DARK LORD GANONDORF!" The duo watched as Zant's Life Points lowered to 1175 and the familiar Gerudo warrior materialized on the field, with the Sage's sword in hand.

Link looked down at the attack label and gasped "4000 Attack points?"

Zant smirked. "Yes; not only is it only able to be destroyed by battle, but it also has a staggering 4000Attack Points!" He then declared "Now Ganondorf, Attack Dark Magician Knight!" Link and Midna could only watch as the knight was sliced in half and Midna's life points decreased to 8400. Link growled as he remembered the day he fought the real Ganondorf.

_The two were locked in seemingly eternal combat, both equally matched and both unwilling to give up. _I must finally beat this hero…_ thought Ganon as he lunged at Link._ I must win…for Midna…_ thought the hero as he reflected the Dark Lord's assault. Good versus evil, justice vs tyranny, a battle that would end up deciding the fate of the entire world._

Link was brought back to reality by a delicate touch on his clenched fist. He looked up to see Midna smiling at him, silently urging him to go on. Link relaxed and nodded. Zant then continued "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Link then drew his card and declared "I activate the magic card, scapegoat! This lets me summon 4 sheep tokens to my field." Four multicolored sheep then appeared in front of Link. He continued "Next, I play one card face-down and end my turn."

Midna nodded and drew her card. "Now…" she began, but then Link interrupted "Not so fast; I reveal my face-down card, Reckless greed! Now Midna can draw 2 more cards, but I can't draw for 2 turns."

Midna smiled in appreciation as she drew. Then she declared "As I was saying, now I activate Pot of Greed! Now I can draw 2 more cards from my deck." As she drew, she continued "now I can send 4 all-powerful cards from my hand to my graveyard to summon an all-powerful monster of my own! So now I'll discard Forest Shadow, Mine Shadow, Lake Shadow, and Twilit Shadow, so I can summon the FUSED SHADOW BEAST!" Link looked up in amazement as the familiar Fused Shadow Beast appeared in the air, staring menacingly at Ganondorf. She continued "Next, I'll activate my monster's effect, but first I must sacrifice 2 monsters." She then glanced over at Link and asked "Link, do you mind if I use your tokens?"

"Of course" Link immediately replied. "That's why they're there."

"Excellent" Midna replied. "Then I sacrifice 2 of Link's sheep tokens to activate my Beast's effect. Watch its attack points."

Link and Zant watched as the Beast's attack meter rose from 4000 to 5000, and then to 6000, and over and over again until it skyrocketed to infinity. "Infinity?" Zant stammered.

Midna smirked and continued "Now, Fused Shadow Beast, show him what true power is all about, with your SPEAR OF FURY!" When she finished, the Beast got out its spear and plunged into Ganon with all its might, destroying the Lord and sending Zant's Life points to zero. "Game…set…match" exclaimed Midna. Zant growled and said "THIS…IS NOT…OVER YET". He then continued "You may have beaten me, but by doing so, you played right into my hand."

"What do you mean?" demanded the princess.

"While you were dueling me, the energy coming from the duel was feeding Ganondorf's soul, and now he's free and on the verge of conquering Hyrule again. Soon it will fall, and Ganon will reign supreme. And the best part is that I couldn't have done it without you, Hero. I opened the portal, I brought you to the Twilight, and I tricked you to leave your home so it would be ripe for the picking." Zant laughed one last time before collapsing.

"Link?" asked Midna. "Are you okay?" She reached out to touch him, but the moment she did he turned around and ran away. Sighing, she warped after him, thinking _This isn't your fault Link, and I'm going to help you to fix it._


	13. Chapter 13: Comforting a Lost Hero

Chapter XIII: Comforting a lost hero

Link ran on and on, not caring where he was going, just wanting to escape the guilt that consumed him. _It's all MY FAULT_ screamed Link in his head. _If I hadn't been so quick to leave Hyrule, maybe this wouldn't have happened. _Similar thoughts ran through the hero's head as he continued to run. Blue grass blurred by him, brown mountains barely recognizable as his legs quickened pace. Suddenly he felt something grab his arm. Link turned around to see Midna's caring face look at his own. It was then that the guilt in him skyrocketed even more, encouraging his flight response. _I can't face her now, not after what I've caused._ He struggled to escape from Midna's grasp, but Midna kept a firm hold on him. It was then that they both disintegrated, Midna warping them somewhere.

Later, they reappeared in Midna's bedroom, where the insanity had begun. The instant she was solid, Midna locked the door with magic so that Link couldn't get out. The instant Link became solid however, he slipped out of Midna's grasp and tried to open the door, but to no avail. "It's no use trying, Link; the door's locked." Link ignored her and futilely tugged at the door in an attempt to open it. Midna sighed deeply, then swept Link off of his feet and carried him to the bed, then sat down with the hero on her lap. She then muttered an incantation and suddenly Link found that his body was frozen in place, save for his neck and his face. She then held his face securely in one hand, despite Link's attempts to turn away. She then whispered "Link, listen to me…you're blaming yourself for things that were out of your control."

However, Link was inconsolable. He broke free of Midna's spell and scrambled out of her lap to the other end of the bed, his back to her. He then cried "You're wrong; if I hadn't stepped into that portal, if I had gone straight to Zelda and informed her instead of going in myself, then this wouldn't have happened. So don't you see; IT IS my fault! Why don't you hate me for my…my…OUTRAGEOUS STUPIDITY?"

_So that's what this is about…he thinks that he was a fool for coming here without thinking of the consequences._ Midna crawled over to him until she was sitting right next to him. She then embraced him in her arms delicately. Link didn't even try to push her away; his fire was all burnt out. She then stroked his hair, in an effort to calm him down. "I could never hate you, no matter how many stupid decisions you made. And your decision to come here wasn't stupid at all; Zant just caught us off-guard is all." Link then turned his face to look up at her, starting to regain his faith in himself. "And think about it…" she continued. "Zant was going to conquer the twilight realm, and then he would've moved on to conquer the light realm. So all of this is Zant's fault, NOT YOURS."

Comprehension crossed the Hylian's features as he absorbed her wisdom. He then gave a low, almost inaudible chuckle. "Maybe, but now Hyrule is doomed; Zelda's army doesn't stand a chance against Ganondorf, and there's no way we can get to the Light Realm, with the mirror destroyed."

It was then that Midna smirked. "I wouldn't be so sure if I were you." Link looked at her and smiled; he loved it when she smirked like that. "I thought that Hyrule might need some assistance at some point, so I started taking…precautions."

"What do you mean?" Link asked. It seemed impossible to travel between the realms, even for a sorceress as powerful as Midna.

"I could tell you, but why bore you with hours of explanation when I could just show you instead?" Midna replied coyly. She held out her hands to Link. He smiled and took them in his own. She then said softly "Close your eyes, and hold on." He then felt, but not saw, shadow and light swirling around them like a typhoon, picking them up and transporting them far away…

"Link? Link! Wake up!" Link groaned as he regained consciousness, waking up to the blinding sun. He slowly began to sit up, placing his hand over his head. He then glanced over to see Midna, hands still entwined. "Are you ready?"

Link jumped up, gave his sword a quick twirl, and sheathed it. Satisfied, Midna began to walk ahead, Link following closely behind. Before long, they reached the castle, its sinister walls repelling all but the bravest of souls. As Midna approached the door, it opened, as if waiting for her to come. The duo then walked through, ready for whatever challenges lay ahead.

Soon after stepping in, the two duelists found themselves right in front of Ganondorf, the maniac who had orchestrated all the senseless destruction. The maniac then clapped his hands together as if the duo were a pair of performers. "Well done" he chuckled, as if he were an emperor congratulating two gladiators. "I never thought that you would beat my protégé at his own game." He then paused for a moment, and then continued "Then again, you've proven me wrong before, like when you humiliated me in combat". He shuddered, and then declared "Well how about a little rematch between the three of us? In the same game that you played when you defeated Zant?"

Midna and Link faced each other, nodded, and then turned their attention back to the Gerudo King and said "We accept; GAME ON!" An arena then rose from the floor, with a total of three stands. All three combatants stepped up and placed their decks in the appropriate zones. And with the LP counters set to 8000, the duel began.

_Turn 1 Ganon: 8000 Link: 8000 Midna: 8000_

"Since we're on my field today, I'll go first" declared the Gerudo King. Ganon drew his first card and chuckled. "First off, I activate the Field Magic Card, Sceau de Pouvoir – Seal of Power!" As Ganon set his card, a golden triangle appeared from the ground and expanded so that it surrounded the three duelists. "As long as this card is on the field, all of my Monsters gain an 800 Attack and Defense boost, and my field card can't be destroyed by magic, trap, or monster effects!"

"This isn't good" exclaimed Link. "With his power boost, he'll be tougher to beat; much tougher!"

Ganon continued "Next I'll summon my Goblin Attack Force in attack mode, and it gains a power boost, thanks to my seal!"

"3100 Attack Points?" Exclaimed the duo.

"Alright, I think that'll do, so I'll end my turn" concluded the Gerudo King.

Link then drew his card and declared "First off, I activate the Magic Card Fissure, which destroys your Goblin Attack Force!" Ganon growled as the earth shook, swallowing the Goblins in a crack. Link then continued "Next I'll summon Warrior Dai Grepher in Attack mode and Equip him with the Magic Card Legendary Sword, which raises his attack and Defense power by 300 points! Now Warrior, Attack his highness directly!"

As the warrior brought its sword down on Ganon, a giant brown furball appeared and took the hit. As Ganon brushed himself off, he explained "By discarding Kuriboh from my hand, my Life Points are untouched. Did you really think I'd let you touch my Life Points, Link?"

Link growled and finished "I'll place one card face down and end my turn."

Midna then drew her card and exclaimed "I activate the Magic Card Card Destruction! Now we must all discard our hands, and replenish with the same number of cards!" As all the duelists replenished their hands, Midna continued "Next I activate Soul Release, which allows me to remove up to 5 monsters from your graveyard, Ganon! Now let's go; I don't have all day." Ganon grunted and set his monsters aside. Midna then continued "Next I summon Skilled Dark Magician in attack mode and I attack you directly Ganon!"

As the mage brought down its scepter, another furball appeared to guard Ganon's Life Points. Ganon laughed and explained "Whenyou activated card Destruction, you forced me to replenish my hand, which allowed me to draw ANOTHER Kuriboh, which I discarded to protect my Life Points."

Midna growled and finished "I'll place two cards face-down and end my turn."

Ganon laughed and declared "Alright, Hero and Princess of Twilight, prepare yourselves for the most treacherous game you've ever played. Playtime's over, so I'm taking this place to the true home of Duel Monsters, THE SHADOW REALM!" Ganon activated his Triforce of Power, materializing a dark-purple fog from his palm, covering the field with its darkness.

Midna growled and yelled "WHAT IS THIS, GANON?"

Ganon laughed and said "I told you this is the Shadow Realm, a place full of dark twists and turns, like an eternal nightmare." He then grinned and yelled "ONLY THIS IS QUITE REAL!"


	14. Chapter XIV: Shadow IIllusions

Chapter XIV: Shadow Illusion

The Gerudo King laughed maniacally as he watched his victims' eyes fill with peril. "Welcome to the Shadow Realm, a place where you have much more to lose than just a game, or even your life!"

The Twilight Princess glared him down and yelled, "What do you mean, Ganon? How does this fog change the game?"

"Allow me to Demonstrate, my dear Princess; my move!"

_Turn 2: Ganon: 8000 LP, 2 cards; Link: 8000 LP, 2 cards; Midna: 8000 LP, 1 card_

Ganon drew his card and grinned wickedly. "I activate the magic card, Meteor of Destruction! Now I can deal 1000 points of direct damage to either one of you, but which one?" Ganon tapped his chin, pretending to be deep in thought, when he suddenly pointed at Link and yelled "I think I'll use YOU as my first guinea pig, Link, now get dealt 100 points of damage!" A giant ball of flames suddenly appeared and sped towards Link at mach speed. The hero braced himself for the impact as he was enveloped in flames. When the meteor hit, it knocked Link back a few feet and caused Midna to gasp in fear of how badly her love had been hurt.

"Are you okay?" Midna yelled with fear evident in her voice. Link struggled to get to his feet and briefly flashed a smile before he too gasped in shock.

"M…Midna, you're…disappearing" Link stuttered as his eyes showed part of Midna fading away.

"What are you talking about Link; I'm fine!"Midna tried to convince him, but to no avail as Link started to hug himself and shiver uncontrollably.

Ganon laughed maniacally and yelled "This is the magic of the Shadow Realm; when you lose Life Points, you will start to see the one you love most slowly fading away! Hah!"

"Link, it's just an illusion; remember I'm still here, and that pig can never take me away from you! We're family now, and nobody can ever change that! Link, I LOVE YOU!" Midna yelled with as much passion as her voice could express.

Link opened his eyes briefly in shock, and then settled into a fierce battle glance. He walked back up to his part of the stage and taunted "Are you done yet, Ganon?"

"Almost" Ganon said smugly, and then continued "I now activate the magic card Nightmare Steelcage! This stops either of us from attacking for 2 full turns, so you can't get at my Life Points! That ends my turn!"

Link then drew his card and, still wearing his indifferent expression, said "I summon my Cannon Soldier in Attack Mode! Next, I activate his special ability! By sacrificing my soldier, he can deal 500 points of damage to you!" Link smiled as his soldier turned into an energy blast that hit Ganon square in the chest, causing the Dark Lord to grunt. "Next, I activate Dian Keto the Cure Master, which enforces Midna's Life Points by 1000!" Midna smiled in appreciation of Link's generosity. "Finally, I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"Thank you, love! Now it's my turn" Midna yelled as she drew her card. She then yelled "I activate the magic card Pot of Greed! This lets me draw two cards from my deck!" As she drew, she grinned and gloated "You're going to regret playing all those magic cards Ganon, because for every one that you played, my Magician gained a spell counter, and now that I have three, I can sacrifice my Skilled Dark Magician, to summon from the graveyard, my DARK MAGICIAN!"

"Big deal, princess! In case you forgot, my cage prevents him from attacking!"

"Don't be so sure about that, you pig! I have another magic card! I activate de-spell, which destroys your cage!" Ganon gasped as the Nightmare Steelcage dissolved, his defense destroyed. "Now Dark Magician, attack directly!" Ganon grunted as the magician waved its scepter and blasted him with a blast of purple magic, lowering his points by over 2000. Midna grinned and finished "Finally, I'll place a card face-down and end my turn!"

Ganon growled at his opponents and grunted "I will…not…lose to you KIDS again! The darkness will take you all, and both Hyrule AND the Twilight will fall to me! Your world is doomed!" Midna and Link both glared at Ganon as they continued to fight to protect both Light and Twilight.


	15. Chapter XV: Dark Counterattack

Chapter XV: Dark Counterattack

_Turn 3: Ganon 5000 LP, 1 card; Link 7000 LP; Midna 9000 LP_

Ganon growled at his adversaries, seething at how they had caught him off guard. Finally he yelled "Time for me to finally rid myself of you pests, I DRAW!" He grinned, eying his card.

"Be careful Link, I don't like the sound of this…" Midna warned. Link smiled a reassuring smile, but said nothing, waiting for his adversary to finish.

"HAHAHA! The time has come for your ultimate destruction! The card I now hold in my hand will wipe what little hope you had of rescuing Hyrule! For now I play a magic card known as Beast Resurrection!"

"Uh-oh, I don't like the sound of that…" the couple thought to themselves with worry for each other while Ganon continued "This card allows me to pay half of my life points so I can summon my ultimate monster. Say hello to DARK BEAST GANON!" As he placed his card down, dark energy waves reverberated within the golden triangle, finally focusing in the center as a giant hog with a glowing wound materialized.

"Uh-oh…" both murmured, their memories taking them back to when Ganon faced them in this form after he had possessed Princess Zelda. Ganon then explained "This monster initially starts with just 1000 Attack Points, but it gains power equal to the Life Points I sacrificed to summon it, plus it gains 800 more points thanks to the Seal of Power!"

Link and Midna watched its Attack Power go up until they exclaimed "Now it has 4300 points!" Ganon then yelled "This should put a damper on your spirits, now Dark Beast, attack Link directly!" The beast then charged, heading straight for Link, when Link replied "Not so fast, I activate Scapegoat, which gives me four monsters to protect me!" Ganon then started to chuckle, until it became a hard laugh. "I missed the joke, Ganon" Link cautiously replied.

"Poor fool; you think I didn't see that coming? I saw your duel with Zant, so I know your tricks!" Ganon continued "Dark beast's special effect prevents magic or traps from being activated during battle, plus monsters can't be summoned during battle by effects!" Link watched his card shatter into pieces, and cried out when the boar struck him with its horns.

"LINK!" cried Midna "are you okay?" Link grunted and struggled to heave himself up, blood dripping from his wound and replied "I'll be okay, but it's getting harder to see you!" Midna yelled "Hang in there; we'll be out of this soon!" She then yelled to Ganon "are you done yet, beast?" Ganon smirked and replied "Go ahead".

Link struggled to draw his card and eyed it with relief when he saw what it was. He then glared at Ganon and yelled "Time for a little divine help…I activate Card of sanctity, so we all must draw until we're holding six cards!" All duelists drew the required cards, and Link continued, "Next I summon King of the Swamp". He looked at his hand with confidence and said "Now we'll show you just how powerful we are when we believe in each other! I activate the magic card Polymerization, which fuses King of the Swamp with Black Luster Soldier! Yugo Shogun! Come forth, Master of Dragon Soldier!" Out from the vortex appeared a three-headed dragon with a soldier in armor on top of it!

"5000 Points?" Ganon exclaimed. Link then commended "Master of Dragon Soldier, slay his beast with GALAXY CRUSHER!" Blue beams were emitted from all of the dragon heads as well as from the soldier's sword which proceeded to engulf and obliterate the beast.

"Great work, Link!" Midna praised, "We've just obliterated his only way to victory!" Link was about to smile when Ganon laughed "You foolish children; do you really think that you've won? You've just paved the way for something even stronger! My beast has a final ability; if it gets destroyed, it evolves into a legendary deity called ULTIMATE GOD OF DARKNESS, GANON!"

Link and Midna gasped as the hog burned, leaving in its place a flaming golden human, similar in appearance to Ganon's god form from their previous encounter. "Of course, there is a price to pay for his arrival; first I must discard my hand, and pay all of my Life Points."

"But that means you lose" the duo replied simultaneously. Ganon smugly replied "Under normal conditions, yes. But as long as my god is in play, I stay in the game. But if you beat him, you win." They then looked at the attack meter and exclaimed "INFINITE ATTACK POINTS?!" Ganon then continued "So there's not a monster in your decks that can stand up against him, and once he strikes you down, HYRULE WILL BE MINE!"

Link sighed and said glumly "I end my turn." Midna then drew wordlessly and announced "I'll end this with Thousand Knives, which destroys your monster!" To her dismay however, once the daggers hit the God, they burned to dust. Ganon cackled and yelled "Fool, my God can't be destroyed or removed from the field by card effects." Midna growled and continued "I play double Spell, so I can nab a magic card from your grave if I ditch one in my hand." She slammed a card in the graveyard and a card flew from Ganon's side into Midna's hand, and she continued "Now I play Nightmare's Steelcage, so we're all unable to attack!"

Ganon cackled "You're just delaying the inevitable; soon I'll take both of you down, and you'll wander in the shadows for all eternity! HAHAHA!"


	16. Chapter XVI: Final Strike

Author's note: Wow, can't believe that it's almost over; just an epilogue left. Well, this was a fun journey, and I appreciate all that reviewed. I may do a sequel, what do you think? As always, please review!

Chapter XVI: Final Strike

_Ganon 0 LP; Link 2700 LP, 4 cards; Midna 9000 LP, 4 cards_

Smugness; that was the perfect word to describe Ganondorf right now. With his seemingly undefeatable monster, Hyrule seemed doomed. He wordlessly drew his card and declared "I could defeat you right now, but why rush? I like to savor my victories, so I'll let you try to win, and make your move."

Link sighed. _What am I supposed to do? He's got an unbeatable monster and I've lost so much life that I can barely see Midna anymore._ "Hey, Link!" That snapped Link out of his stupor and forced him to look at his love. She gave a thumbs up and told him "You can do this, now take him down like the her I know you are."

Link smiled and drew his card. He gasped _this card just might do it!_ "Ganon, this is the end! I'll start by activating Pot of Greed so I can draw twice! Next I'll send the four shadow cards to the graveyard in order to summon Fused shadow Beast." All combatants watched as the familiar monster appeared in the middle of the battlefield.

Ganondorf roared in laughter for several minutes before finally responding "Didn't you learn from real life? My god form is superior to even the combined strength of the fused shadows! Just because we're in some card game doesn't mean that a battle between them will be any different! You've DOOMED yourself! Hahaha!"

Link smirked and declared "I'm not done! Next I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy the Nightmare Steelcage!" Midna gasped and glared at Link angrily. "Link have you completely LOST it? That cage was our only defense!" Link smiled and replied "Just watch, Princess. Next I activate De-Fusion, splitting my Soldier back into its original forms." Both Midna and Ganondorf watched, confused as the all-powerful monster split back into the King of the Swamp and the Black Luster Soldier.

"What tomfoolery are you planning? You just weakened your own field" the King of Evil shouted. "Link chuckled and replied "It's simple; the Fused Shadow Beast's special attack requires two sacrifices."

Both Midna and Ganon gasped; one in surprise and the other in horror. "You plan to activate the hidden powers of Obelisk?"

"Yes, to wipe you out Ganon!"

"YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" Ganon yelled as the two monsters morphed into the Twilit Spear that the Beast then picked up, raising its ATK to then pointed his finger at Ganon and yelled "GO FUSED SHADOW BEAST, AND ELIMINATE THAT GOD ONCE AND FOR ALL!" The Beast raided its spear, and ejected a blast of Light and Shadow that decimated the God, along with Ganon. "NOOOOO!" Ganon yelled as he was hit by the magical attack.

"Your moments of glory are at an end, shadow thief!" an outside voice boomed. All 3 combatants turned around to find a young man with tri-colored hair and adorned in golden jewelry walking to the arena. "Now, with all of my power, I banish your remains! MIND CRUSH!"

Ganon yelled as his disintegrating corpse was shattered in a blast of dark purple magic that blew him into specs of dust. Link and Midna stared in awe of what just transpired. They were suddenly snapped back to reality when the mysterious figure spoke. "I apologize for what has transpired in both of your realms. Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Atem, and the shadow magic that Zant and Ganondorf unleashed originated from my kingdom in an alternate reality. You see, in my reality, 5000 years ago, monarchs played a game of great and terrible power, similar to your reality's War for The Triforce. These Yami No Games erupted into a war that could very well have destroyed all reality, for if one dimension goes they all go."

"So according to your history, your people created shadow magic that ended up threatening existence. But how did it stop, and how did Zant and Ganon get a hold of it?" Midna interrupted.

"I'm getting to that" Atem explained. "I then intervened, locking away the magic in 7 mystical items, as well as myself. Then, after several mystical battles that I fought with a partner of my own, all the Millenium Items were destroyed, the Shadow Magic was eradicated, and I returned to my slumber, at ease knowing that the great magic would never again harm mankind…or so I hoped. A number of your weeks ago, Zant found an entry into my reality and absorbed remains of the shadow magic that gathered near those that I had contact with, and once he was powerful enough, he revived his master and set off to conquer Hyrule and the Twilight. I had every intention of stopping him myself, but when I was able to traverse realities I found out that the two of you had already beaten him. And now, here we stand."

The duo stared in shock; here was an ancient king telling a story that rivaled their own adventures. It was then that Link spoke "If Zant found it, does that mean that others will find it too?"

Atem shook his head. "No, from now on I'll be keeping a close eye on my reality to ensure that this doesn't repeat, as history has a tendency to do. Now I must take my leave. May the gods grant you peace." With that, Atem dissipated in golden sparkles.

Link and Midna stood in shock. "I have a headache…" Link announced. Midna, despite her confusion, decided to go with the flow. Chuckling, she replied while putting her arm around him for support "Come on, Hero. Let's go rescue Zelda and see where the future takes us." Link smiled, put his arm around Midna, and they both walked forward as they approached their future.


	17. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

The door emitted a creak as The Twilight Princess slowly opened the entryway to her chambers, one hand on the door and her other wrapped around the hand of the Hero of Twilight. Both companions looked at each other for a brief moment, and smiled. Midna pulled him over to the bed and sat both of them down on the cloudlike furniture. Several seconds of silence passed until Link broke it by saying in a shy tone "You know, we never got to really talk about us, what with that whole adventure…"

In a shy tone matching his, Midna admitted "You're right, we didn't…"

Link took a moment, then continued "So, you know where I stand, I mean how I…what I mean is…"

Link would have babbled for several minutes if Midna hadn't put a finger to his lips and replied "I know…you love me." Midna had an abashed expression on her face as she continued "And you know where I stand, right?"

Link nodded, and then asked "So now that we're both on the same page, what's going to happen to us now?"

Midna looked up at his face; for the first time in her life, she could see a genuine essence of fear swimming in his blue orbs. She then drew him in for a comforting embrace, one that he returned without a second thought. As she stroked his back, she said softly "I can't say that a life with me will be all rainbows and lollipops. Being with a princess will have its challenges, there will be those in power who will try to dissuade us from pursuing a life together because of the differences in our upbringings, and there's still some deep-set hatred for light dwellers among some twili…" It was then that she squeezed him tighter and finished "But no matter what, I will always love you, with all of my heart Link."

She then pulled away just enough to see his reaction; tears of happiness started to flow from his eyes as Link smiled, and then kissed her, all the while sobbing happily. When at last they parted for air, Link half sobbed and half panted "I…I love you too Midna, and I will never leave you."

Midna gave a soft smile, grabbed him by the front of his tunic, and pulled him under the blankets as their newfound love took them to places unknown.


	18. Sequel Announcement

Sequel Announcement

Well, it's been a while, but I've decided to make a sequel to a tale of two legends, which will focus on Link's adaption to his new life in the Twilight Realm. If you have any ideas for story elements, feel free to put them in the review comments of the upcoming fic titled Legend of Zelda: Adjustment. When it is up, I will make one last chapter update on this fic to let everyone know.

Finally, to anyone who might have been confused by how I made this fiction into a semi-crossover with Yu-Gi-Oh, allow me to explain why I did. It wasn't my original intention when I designed this fiction to do so, but one day the idea popped into my head around the 3rd chapter point, and I decided to roll with it and see how it went.


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